ITALY PERSPECTIVE

Rome celebrates a historic day. ANSA opens with ecstasy: 'Cobolli-Arnaldi the semifinal, there will be an azzurro for the Roland Garros title'. Life is a dream, but it can also be a nightmare — the opening line of the article captures the day's emotion. Flavio Cobolli flies into the semifinals, his first at a Grand Slam, where he will face Matteo Arnaldi. It is certain: an Italian will be in the final. La Repubblica leads with 'the day of the triple azzurro' and dispatches its envoy Massimo Calandri. Cobolli beat Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, 6th in the world, in four sets (4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4) with a comeback 'da applausi'. Roman tennis documents the turning point: after losing the first set, the tournament director ordered the automatic roof closed for rain risk — the moment the 13th-ranked player began his long comeback. 'I told myself: fight', he tells the press conference. Adnkronos amplifies the drama: 'Berrettini retires in tears and Arnaldi embraces him'. The 2021 Wimbledon finalist was stopped in the second set of his quarter against Arnaldi by another injury, while leading 7-5, 5-2. The embrace of the two Romans becomes the day's symbolic image for Italy. Italian Federation president Binaghi demands the Cobolli-Arnaldi semifinal be aired free-to-air — sports politics mixing business and national identity. Italian coverage combines celebration, emotion and TV politics. No one mentions the geopolitical dimension. Not a line on Kostyuk dedicating her win to Ukraine. The tournament is Italian — not political.